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Helpful hint

Michael Mullin, ATC, LAT, PTA from Portland, Maine recently sent us this helpful hint to use with our patients that enjoy running!

I just had a patient come back to see me and she stated:

“I just returned from Everest and it was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. There were times when I was having a really hard time breathing above 17,000 feet, and without oxygen, you are trying to find air. There were others that needed to be evacuated, but I practiced the diaphragmatic things you taught me about full exhalation and re-oxygenation and I swear it saved me—literally saved my life when I did not think I was going to make it”.

I have been having my runners work on a breathing cycle with quite good results: inhaling on 2 strides and exhaling on 3 strides. This reinforces not only good respiratory control and reducing hyperinflation, but it also allows them to push off on exhalation on alternating legs to maintain symmetry.